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Poder vs. Poderse

 

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  #1  
Old October 04, 2010, 08:27 AM
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Poder vs. Poderse

I was watching Dexter last night. The title of the show was "Sí, Se Puede" I assume it means, "Yes, you can" but I am not sure I understand when and why poderse is used instead of poder.
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  #2  
Old October 04, 2010, 08:48 AM
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"Yes, you can" translates to "Sí, (tú) puedes", or "Sí, usted puede".

"Yes, you can" also translates to "Sí, se puede" as in "Yes, one can".
(Use of the reflexive form serves to generalize, as in "It can be done".
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Last edited by hermit; October 04, 2010 at 08:58 AM.
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Old October 04, 2010, 10:10 AM
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It's correct the sentence in the form described.

Si se puede.

You can it.

It's a kind phrase with motivational purposes.
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Old October 04, 2010, 03:09 PM
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"Sí, se puede", is a form of passive voice, called "voz pasiva refleja". As Hermit said, can be translated as "yes, one can", or even more like "yes, it can be done".
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Old October 06, 2010, 12:37 AM
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That's right...
It's like what Kevin Garnet (Boston Celtics) would have said when the Celtics won the NBA finals against the Lakers, in the 2008 play-offs...

Or what the Spanish soccer team could say after winning the South African world cup this summer...

Or what Pau Gassol would say when they beat the Celtics in the NBA finals this last year... or... or... (The examples are many... I gave several on the sports field, as it is one I like...)

And I could not let this one go: Rafa Nadal winning his first US Tennis Open at Flushing Meadows, New York, and 3 Grand Slams in a row (Paris, Roland Garros, and London, Wimbledon, being the other 2): ¡Sí se puede! ¡Ánimo Rafa! ¡Ahora a por el abierto de Australia [Australian Open]!
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